The Vampire Diaries - The Beginning
by vampiirediaries
Summary: Elena's world is about to change.
1. The Beginning

**Elena collapsed onto her feather bed and watched as the dust danced in the sunlight pouring in from her window. Her mind wandered**

**back to the memory of the mysterious guy she met at school today, and the terribly awkward conversation she wished they never**

**had as he saw her storm from the boys bathroom, after scolding her angst-filled teenage brother. "Ugghhhh!" she muffled into her pillow**

**as she buried her face wanting to forget everything that happened today. She heard her door creak as her brother Jeremy peeked**

**into her room. "Are you okay?" he giggled. "No, do you think anyone will notice if I just lock myself in my room and never**

**go back to school?" she sighed. "Oh come on Elena, chill." Jeremy said as he rolled his eyes. "You know Jeremy, you act as**

**if you don't even care about everything we've gone through, do you even miss mom and dad? Maybe I should get into some of your stash to help CHILL my feelings!**

**I can't do this with you right now, I need fresh air." She threw on a black peacoat and grabbed her favourite worn-out leather boots as she flung open the door and **

**burst out into the crisp fall air. She had no destination in mind, she just kept power walking leaving her parents house**

**as far behind her as she could. It was autumn in her sleepy town of Mystic Falls, the sun was still warm but the cold wind promised**

**winter was well on it's way. By the time Elena clued in to her surroundings after being so buried in her own thoughts she**

**realized she was in front of an old eerily beautiful house that she had never seen before. She was taken aback by the beautiful rich**

**dark wood of the house and the giant oak tree in it's bright red autumn coat. "CAAAAW!" Elena jumped as a crow flew right over her**

**head. It perched itself in the bright red leaves of the oak tree and turned to stare right into Elena's big brown eyes, she felt unease in the pit of her stomach and quickly looked away.**

**"Jeeze, hi bird." she whispered as she fixed her long brown hair. The crow leapt off it's perch and glided onto the front doorstep of the old house.**

**She wasn't sure where she got the courage from but she followed the crow closer to the front door gnawing on her bottom lip and ignoring the thoughts in her head whispering**

**"go back." As she got closer she realized that the front door was slightly open, she looked back scanning**

**for anyone who might see and quickly slipped her body in through the front door. The smell of the house was similar to an old church,**

**it comforted Elena and reminded her of her parents taking her to mass every Sunday. Her eyes were struggling to take everything in, this house was huge.**

**She found herself in the luxurious living room with a roaring fire place directly in front of her. She felt herself smile as feelings of comfort and familiarity rushed**

**through her. For some reason she felt as if she had been here before, deja-vu as she admired a glass case with old model cars covered in dust parked inside.**

** "You must be Elena." said a deep voice behind her. **

**Elena whirled around to meet hauntingly ice blue eyes of one of the most handsome men she had ever laid eyes on. Her voice caught**

**in her throat but she managed to say "Y-Yes, I'm Elena. Elena Gilbert."**

** His eyes narrowed almost piercing into her as he smirked and said "I'm Damon, Damon Salvatore." A shockwave rushed through Elena as she thought back to the tall mysterious guy she met at school earlier that day. Wasn't his name Salvatore? Elena suddenly realized her face was turning bright red and managed to say "Um, I'm so sorry, I'm not sure what made me come in here. I know this is so wrong it's just there was this crow-" Damon looked at her intensely but began to laugh , then put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her close to him, it made every nerve in Elena's body scream at herand butterflies coursed through her stomach. He made her feel so on edge and she wasn't sure if she liked it. "It's my pleasure Elena, the house must have.. spoken to you." He smirked again as if he knew something she didn't. "This is an old house, in an even older town. You never know what kind of things might go bump in the night." his eyes widened. He almost seemed to be studying her as Elena looked away and gazed out the old Victorian looking windows, the sky was turning purple and pink and she realized dusk was setting in. She could feel his cold blue eyes on her and her heart began to race. "I should be going.." she said as turned towards the door. She gasped as she ran into Damon's strong chest. How the hell did he get to the front door before I did? She felt his finger firmly press her chin upwards until her eyes were locked with his. His blue eyes were scanning hers. He said softly "Get home safe Miss Gilbert, there's been reports of animal attacks lately. Like I said, things go bump in the night." There was a hint of sarcasm in Damon's voice, but his narrowed eyes were all serious. Adrenaline began to course through Elena's body as Damon's words soaked into her mind and she began running from the old boarding house. The night sky had turned from pretty shades of purple and pink to an ominous, starless black. Elena finally slowed down to a walk as she thought about what Damon said to her, she shook her head and softly laughed at herself. This is Mystic Falls, nothing bad ever happens here. The fear she felt melted away as she could see Jeremy's bedroom light glowing in the distance, she quickened her pace eager to be safe at home again. As she started up her driveway she noticed a rustling sound in the neighbours tree, she could faintly make out the shadowy outline of a crow sitting atop a branch. It ruffled it's feathers and made an odd sound as Elena opened her front door and quickly shut it behind her, locking it. She sighed as she tore off her boots and made her way up the mahogany stair case. Elena peered in to Jeremy's bedroom and saw him engrossed in his sketch book bopping his head up and down to music blaring in from his camouflage headphones. She smiled to herself and softly shut his door. As she was changing into sweats and getting ready for bed, Elena began to dread the day at school that would be waiting for her the next day. A sinking feeling began to wash itself over her and she tried to think of any way to get out of going to school tomorrow. The last thing she wanted to deal with was Caroline's prying questions, Matt's longing stares, Jeremy getting high in the boys bathroom, at least she would have Bonnie.. right? Elena stiffened at the memory of the mystery hot guy she had an awkward conversation with earlier that day and she put her face in her hands laughing at herself. "Yeah as if he'll ever look at you again" she said to herself. Elena walked bare foot across the carpet towards her window and hoped to find the moon in the sky, it wasn't there. "Hmmmm.." she murmured softly. The sky is so dark and depressing tonight, probably a sign that tomorrow is going to suck. She locked her window and closed the blinds before making her way to her bed. She crawled in under her blankets and shut off her lamp. Reaching out she grabbed her favourite teddy bear and snuggled up to it as she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep. The last thing that crossed Elena's conscious mind were a pair of icy blue eyes. **


	2. First Day

The sun shone through Elena's room and the birds chirped cheerfully outside her window. Elena stretched out, looked at the clock that read 6:58am and sprung out of bed. On her way to the bathroom she stopped and looked at a picture of her parents, she smiled and thought to herself I'm going to face today with a smile. She got dressed with the radio blaring and danced around her room in her dark skinny jeans and cropped leather jacket. "Someone's in a good mood." said her Aunt Jenna from the door way. "Way to knock Jenna!" Elena giggled and gave Jenna a dirty look. Jenna waved Elena in the direction of the kitchen and told her to come have something to eat before leaving for school. The kitchen smelled of freshly brewed coffee, pancakes and bacon. Elena's stomach rumbled as she sat down beside her brother who was already stuffing his face. "Morning." He mumbled through a mouth full of pancake. She looked over at Jeremy, put her head on her hand and took a sip of her coffee. "Walk to school with me?" asked Elena as she

drank the last of her coffee. "Nah, I've got somewhere to go before class." said Jeremy while putting his dishes away. Great, he's going to get stoned before class. Elena grabbed her bag and hugged her Aunt goodbye before she stepped out the door. Elena noticed something weird on her windshield as she was walking towards her car, as she got closer she realized that it was a handprint. Elena got into the car and buckled her seatbelt, before she could drive away it became obvious that the handprint on her windshield was smeared in blood. Fear crept through Elena's body as she tried to come to any conclusion as to who did this. She pulled the window wash trigger behind her steering wheel and pulled away from her house. She arrived at Mystic Falls High and spotted Caroline and Bonnie sitting on a bench. As she made her way over to them a sudden feeling of dread overwhelmed Elena, she was going to have a conversation with Caroline Forbes. "Elena!" yelled Bonnie. Elena smiled and waved at her friends as Bonnie ran over to her and gave her a huge hug. "Whoa Bonnie, Hi guys how's it going?" Elena giggled as she was trampled by Bonnie's tight hug. "Oh you know, just scoping out the hot guys." Caroline said with a wink. Elena rolled her eyes and said "Find any yet?" Bonnie and Caroline looked at each other before Bonnie whispered "There's this new guy, apparently he's from Europe." "Oooh, how exciting! A boy with an accent!" squealed Caroline. The bell rang and the girls picked up their things and walked to English class. Elena walked in first and butterflies churned in her stomach as she met the eyes of the gorgeous stranger she had an awkward run-in with the day before. He quickly looked back down to his desk and Elena tried to hide the disappointment in her face as she chose a desk beside Bonnie. After she couldn't take reading Hamlet any longer Elena excused herself to go to the washroom. Walking down the hallway, she had a sense that someone was watching her. She stopped and looked around but saw nobody, she shook her head trying to rid herself of the thoughts of the strange past 24 hours she had. She made it into the washroom, turned on the tap and looked at herself in the mirror. She examined her olive skin, her deep brown eyes, and came to the conclusion that she looked tired. She splashed some water on her face in attempt to wake herself up when she heard swift movement behind her. "Hello?" asked Elena with a tremble in her voice. She walked over to the bathroom stalls and confirmed that they were all empty. She turned to go back to class but the hot mystery guy was standing in front of the door. "Uhm, excuse me but what are you doing in the girls bathroom?" asked Elena with anger in her eyes. "I needed to get you alone." he replied with a sly smile. "I'm Stefan, I'm new here." he finished. "Yeah I know you're new, but you still really shouldn't

be in here. You said you needed to get me alone, what did you mean by that?" challenged Elena. Stefan cleared his throat and stepped closer to her. "It's just

you remind me of someone I used to know. And to be honest it's been pretty lonely since I moved here." he blushed and said "I'm sorry this must be really weird for you."

Elena studied his spring green eyes and said "If anyone knows anything about loneliness, it's me. Trust me. But I just wouldn't recommend sneaking up on a girl in the

bathroom." laughed Elena before asking "What was your last name again?" He furrowed his eyebrows and seemed to be deep in thought but he looked up at her and smiled

brightly before saying "Sorry, that was rude of me, I don't think I told you my last name but it's Salvatore." Elena felt her face go white as Stefan extended his hand

out to shake hers. Memories of Damon flooded through her, "things go bump in the night.", intense blue eyes, and an infectious smirk. She reached out to shake Stefan's

hand and tried to smile up at him. She saw his face change in the moment she touched his hand, his eyes darkened and his face almost looked transparent, she could see the veins under his eyes. He seemed uncomfortable and panicky before he abruptly turned and burst out the door. Elena was left in the bathroom unsure of what she just saw. Something inside Elena told her, her life was about to change.


	3. Discovery

Elena Gilbert walked home from school at what seemed like warp speed, the entire day since her run-in with Stefan Salvatore had been a giant blur. She finally walked into the front door, threw her bags on the kitchen table and sank into her spot on the couch. Elena couldn't gather her thoughts; her brain couldn't even come close to comprehending what had happened at school today. Not to mention her interesting run in with Damon Salvatore the day before. No matter how hard Elena tried she couldn't piece anything together, all she knew was it would be best to avoid the Salvatore's and focus on herself. Just as Elena was about to turn on the TV to attempt to clear her mind, her iPhone rang. It was Caroline Forbes; Elena sighed and fought the urge to ignore the phone call. "Hello?" answered Elena. "HEY! It's Caroline, what are you doing tonight?" Caroline said in an annoyingly bubbly voice. "Uhh, well I was just about to kick back and spend the evening with my hot date.." Elena rolled her eyes and smiled, waiting for Caroline's freak out on the other end. "WHAT?! Elena Gilbert has a date and I wasn't invited over for wardrobe advice? Friends off Elena." Caroline whined. "Yep, I have a hot date with my TV and couch. I think sweats and a ponytail is going to be the outfit of choice for this evening." Elena said while stretching. There was silence on the other end and a brief moment where Elena actually thought Caroline had hung up on her. "Caroline?" asked Elena. "You're hilarious Elena, well you're in luck because I'm about to rescue you from your boring night. Me you and Bonnie, camping trip, tonight, at the old Young farm lake! Pick you up in an hour!" Before Elena could protest she heard Caroline's phone click. "Errrg!" breathed Elena as she threw her phone across the couch. The last thing she wanted to do was go camping at a creepy lakeside farmhouse after everything that had happened the past few days. Although upon arguing with herself for a while longer, Elena came to the conclusion that spending a night away from the depths of her brain and with her friends might do her some good. She ran upstairs and began packing PJ's, and some camping gear. Right on cue, the doorbell rang and Caroline let herself in, stomping all the way upstairs right to Elena's door. Bonnie was behind her and smiled shyly at Elena and smiled an excited smile. "Are you ready to go?" squealed Caroline, practically shaking with excitement. "Yep, did you guys bring a tent?" questioned Elena. "Yeah we're all set, lets get going." Bonnie smiled. The car ride was filled with sing-a-longs, laughs, and too much candy being devoured. They reached their campsite just as the sky was beginning to hint towards sunset. The old farmhouse sat right in front of a big blue lake, the evergreen trees made a thick canopy above the spot they chose just in case the weather decided to turn on them. After they set up their tent and sleeping bags, the girls walked to the side of the lake. The sun was starting to set and the trees on the opposite bank were black against the orange sky, it looked like a painting. They were standing there enjoying the view when a flock of crows interrupted the silence and flew over their heads. One of the crows landed in a near by tree and watched them. Bonnie shivered and said "Crows freak me out, my Grams said they represent death." Elena rolled her eyes and looked over at her. "Bonnie I thought you thought all that witchy voo-doo stuff was a load of bullshit?" Bonnie looked down at her feet and mumbled something that Elena didn't hear. Caroline ended the awkward silence when she suggested that the girls make something to eat for dinner before they have no more daylight. They finished their meal of hot dogs and roasted peppers, and sat in front of the fire talking about boys. "Elena how about Matt Donovan? Are you two just like, finished now?" Elena sighed, she hadn't even really thought about what she wanted with her long-time love, Matt Donovan. She loved him, but she wasn't in-love with him, there was no passion. Elena knew she needed more from a partner, she just wasn't sure where she was going to get it and she sure as hell didn't know how to tell Matt that she was done with him romantically, for good. They had broken up not too long after her parents passed away, she told him she needed to be alone. It wasn't true, at the time of her parents death Elena had never needed someone so desperately. She just couldn't lead poor Matt Donovan on any longer, she had to let him go. "Helloooo, Elena…" Caroline poked her in the ribs. "Sorry, I was thinking. Honestly you guys I haven't really talked to Matt about us so can you keep this secret?" They nodded and eagerly waited for what Elena was about to say. "Well, Matt was my first love and he means the world to me. That being said, I don't think he's the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. There's no passion between us, its teenage love you know? It's too easy; I want something complicated and hard. Real. Matt is too… meek for me. I need someone strong who is willing to fight for me. When I told Matt I needed space, he just kind of… agreed? I was hoping he would tell me I was crazy and barge his way into my room and be there for me, you know? Yes Matt Donovan and I are done for good, we're just childhood friends who got caught up in teenage pressure and decided to try and be together." Elena finished. Her friends nodded in response and after a quiet moment Bonnie said "I dreamt about you meeting a man, he was just a shadowy figure in my dream though. I have no idea what he looks like but I got feelings of fire between you two. Maybe it's a sign that better things are coming your way Elena." Bonnie touched her arm and nodded a reassuring nod. After more boy gossip the girls began to yawn and decided it was time to head into their tent. Inside, shadows danced on the walls from the burning campfire outside and Caroline lit a little candle in the middle of them. They got all cozy and bundled up in their sleeping bags and faced each other lying on their stomachs. Caroline and Bonnie kept glancing at each other and giggling like they had a secret they were keeping from Elena. "What are you guys laughing about?" Elena asked furrowing her eyebrows. "Bonnie can read palms. We're gonna do a past, present, and future reading." giggled Caroline. "Okay what the hell Bonnie, I thought you were avoiding this witch stuff?" laughed Elena. "Over the summer my Grams showed me some little cool tricks, she really opened up my mind to a whole new world." Bonnie whispered. She grabbed Elena's hand, closed her eyes, and began to say words Elena didn't understand. "Your past was, a happy time. You always felt like you were loved as a child; it's all very bright and cheerful. Very warm feelings." Bonnie was smiling with her eyes still closed. "Your present… it's a bit darker, lots of feelings of sadness, loneliness, almost a sense of being left behind. You're guilty about what happened to your parents, you feel as if it was your fault because you called them to come get you. You were the reason they crossed Wickery Bridge that night. I do see things getting lighter, you have decided to crawl out of the hole you dug yourself and come back to life. You want to live the way they would have wanted you to live." Bonnie's face changed, she almost looked afraid. "Your future… I don't understand what I'm seeing. This is something I've never ever felt before. These aren't human feelings. I feel strong, powerful, and confident. You will be safe, however shrouded in darkness." Bonnie's eyes burst open. Elena wasn't sure if she should believe Bonnie or take this with a grain of salt? She nailed my past, and my present.. But my future? That can't be right, it makes no sense? Where was the job, the family, and the white picket fence? "Well that was intense…" whispered Caroline. "Guys it's getting really late, lets sleep." said Bonnie with a hint of urgency in her voice. The girls became totally silent and before long Elena found herself relaxing and almost drifting off to sleep when she heard a branch snap outside their tent. She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at Caroline and Bonnie who were still sleeping. The fire outside had burned down to coals judging by the low-light of the tent. "CRACK" went another branch outside. Elena desperately tried to find her flashlight in her bag beside her head. She heard muffled crying off in the distance, the sounds of rustling leaves were getting louder. Bonnie stirred awake just as Elena found her flashlight; Caroline's eyes were already wide open when Elena looked over at her. Elena put a finger over her mouth, urging the girls to be quiet. They listened for a few seconds longer when suddenly the muffled cries turned into muffled screams. Bonnie unzipped the tent door and burst out into the night air, Elena and Caroline followed. Down a dark path in front of them with the lake in the distance they saw a giant shadow. Elena turned on her flashlight and pointed it down the path, what it illuminated made the girls scream at the top of their lungs. It was Stefan Salvatore, hands and face covered in blood. His eyes almost black, face full of veins. His teeth were what instilled fear into Elena's heart, they were huge sharp fangs which he was using to drain the life out of Vicky Donovan.


	4. Deja Vu

Elena froze, in complete utter disbelief at what she was seeing in front of her. Stefan's sides were heaving in and out and his breathing made him sound like a wild animal. Blood was dripping off his chin as he made eye contact with them, a flash of worry swept over his eyes but it was quickly replaced with rage. Bonnie gripped onto Elena's arm as she noticed Stefan dropped Vicky's lifeless body and was coming towards them, growling a deep guttural growl. Caroline shouted "No! Please, just please stay away." She began to cry. Stefan kept walking, the rage in his eyes burning stronger as he got closer to them. Just as Elena was turning to run, a dark shadowy figure emerged; flying through the brush and tackled Stefan to the ground. The two shadows moved so fast, the girls still couldn't make out what was going on or who came out of the forest. "We have to go, please you guys, I'm so scared right now" Caroline sobbed into her jacket. "No, we need to help Vicky. If anyone finds out we were here and didn't do anything it's going to look really bad." Elena snapped back, annoyed at Caroline's sobs. Just as Bonnie was about to say something, they heard a loud snap. Startled, they looked back to the wrestling figures and saw Damon Salvatore standing above Stefan, who was now crumpled on the ground and seemed to be unconscious. His blue eyes connected with Elena's and shivers ran through her entire body. She heard Caroline and Bonnie gasp as Damon was walking towards them, he stopped at Bonnie first. He looked deep into her eyes and said "You need to forget everything you saw here tonight, go get in the car." Bonnie turned around with a blank stare on her face and began walking towards the car. Elena reached out to grab her arm but Bonnie just kept on walking, "You need to forget everything you saw here tonight, go sit next to Bonnie in the car." She heard Damon say to Caroline. As Elena turned she met Damon's eyes and he softly put his hand around her back, he pulled her closer to him and whispered in her ear "I don't want to do this to you, but it's too soon for you to see this. There is so much you need to know Elena, but not like this." He pulled his head back and looked into her eyes. "You need to forget everything you saw tonight, get in your car and drive you and your friends back to your house."

******

Elena woke up to slants of sunlight beaming into her room; it was stifling in her bed, so she kicked a leg out of the covers. "Ow!" said a voice beside her. Elena spun her head to the right and realized Bonnie and Caroline were curled up in the bed beside her. "What the hell are you guys doing here?" Elena sat up puzzled. The girls stretched and sat up looking equally as confused as Elena was. "I don't know, my memory is totally blank." Bonnie mumbled. "Did we get drunk camping and come home?" Caroline wondered. Elena thought back to the night before, her memory had so many holes but she recalled the camping trip, the fire, the lake, and Bonnie telling her fortune. "I remember the camping, but I have no idea how the hell we got here." Bonnie said as she got out of bed and began changing back into her clothes. "Thanks for letting me stay Elena but I have to go to my Gram's, maybe she'll know what's going on." Elena got out of bed and watched Bonnie walk down the street until she could no longer see her. Her Aunt Jenna walked into her room and Elena looked up startled. "Girls sleepover? What happened to the camping trip?" asked Jenna as she crossed her arms and leaned on the doorframe. "We honest-" Caroline began to say but Elena interrupted her and quickly said "We honestly got scared and decided to come home, there was some weird noises coming from the forest and we totally bailed." Elena shot Caroline a look and hoped her friend would get the hint and play along. "Yeah, we wimped out." Caroline said with a laugh. Elena sighed and smiled at her aunt. "Okay well I'm glad you guys are home safe, because Vicky Donovan was found not too far from where you guys said you were going and she's at the hospital on life support." The color faded from Elena and Caroline's faces. "What!? What happened to her?" Elena demanded. Her aunt bit her bottom lip and looked down. "The authorities aren't entirely sure; she has massive blood loss and multiple head injuries. It's not looking too good for her in all honesty so you guys might want to head over there just in case.." Elena and Caroline got ready on auto-pilot and the next thing they knew they were in Elena's SUV heading for Mystic Falls General Hospital. She wasn't sure if it was the extra strong coffee Jenna brewed or the fact that she was about to see her dying friend in the hospital but Elena's hands were trembling. They made it to the hospital and worked their way through the emergency room straight to the front desk. "Hi, we're looking for the room of Vicky Donovan?" the nurse looked at them through her bushy eyebrows and said "room 203, it's on the second floor." She snapped her gum and said "Poor girl, that one." Caroline looked at Elena with a disgusted look on her face and began walking towards the elevator. They walked in through the stainless steel doors, pressed "2" and waited for the doors to close. The lights flickered on their way up to the second floor which made the two girls even more uneasy. "I hate elevators!" Caroline shouted. The doors slid open and they saw Matt Donovan slumped against the wall, eyes red-rimmed from tears. Ignoring all the awkward feelings, Elena pulled Matt up to her and tightly hugged him. "It's going to be okay Matty." Elena said softly as she felt Matt begin to cry against her. Caroline broke into tears behind them and said "is she doing okay?" Matt pulled away from Elena, wiped his eyes and sighed "why don't you go look for yourselves?" gesturing towards her door. The sight of Vicky hooked up to countless tubes and attached to a respirator was enough to make both of the girls cover their mouths in shock. Elena's eyes began to fill with tears as she turned to the doctor and asked if she was going to be okay. "We don't know miss, the injuries she has sustained are extremely serious. Things aren't looking very positive at this point." Elena looked down at the hospital tile, flecked with pastel colors. Elena found a chair next to Vicky's bed, sat down, and lost herself watching Vicky's heart rate monitor. Bonnie burst into the room out of breath, her face looked as if she had just seen a ghost. "Elena, Caroline, I need to talk to you, now." Bonnie said between heavy breaths. The girls went out into the hallway and anticipated what Bonnie had to say. "Bonnie what is it? What's going on?" Elena took her friends hand and looked her in the eye as if to tell her it's okay. Bonnie began "I bumped into Stefan Salvatore in the hallway on my way up here, like literally bumped into him. When I touched him I got all these flashes of his face, but he was covered in blood and he had fangs. His eyes were deep black and his skin looked transparent. I could see all the veins in his face. It was terrifying. I felt so much rage, and… hunger." Caroline furrowed her eyebrows and said "Well what do those visions mean?" Bonnie shook her head and told Caroline "These visions were different, it wasn't metaphorical, these were memories coming back to me." That startled Elena "What do you mean Bon? Are you trying to say that this actually happened? And you saw it?" Caroline held her head in her hands and said "Bonnie, do you remember anything about the background of these visions?" Bonnie thought to herself and said "It was dark, cold, and there were trees." Everything clicked in her head and Elena said "Bonnie, that's must have been what happened to us last night. That's why we left and came back to my house." "Yeah but why wouldn't we remember doing it? You think if we all saw something like that we would never ever be able to forget it." Said Caroline. "I don't know guys, but I have never felt such evil in my life and I think we need to be really conscious of watching our backs." Elena felt fear tingle through all the nerves in her body but she was interrupted by Matt collapsing onto the floor of the hospital hallway. They ran over to him completely ignorant as to what had just happened. Matt cried "She's dead! She's fucking dead. Whoever or whatever did this is going to pay!" his face twisted as he sobbed. Elena's heart broke to see Matt like this, anger filled her and in that moment she knew exactly what she had to do. "Guys, please take care of Matt. I will be back I promise. I need to do something." Elena stormed away as her friends called after her in confusion. Elena ignored them and focused on the anger blazing in her heart. She jumped into her SUV determined to get answers. She sped away from the hospital and found herself heading towards The Salvatore house.


	5. Chapter 5

The day was a dark gloomy grey and the skies threatened rain as Elena sped down the freeway. Vicky Donovan was dead. Elena remembered Vicky laying lifeless on the hospital bed with breathing tubes attached to her, the heart rate monitor steadily beeping each time Vicky's heart would beat; however no one expected those heart beats to be her last. Elena exited the freeway and began driving down a dark tree lined street in the direction of the Salvatore house. She tried to plan out what she was going to say when she got there but nothing would come to mind, anger filled Elena's brain. She thought about Matt's heartbroken face, Elena felt her eyes fill with tears at the memory. The red oak tree was quickly approaching on her right and Elena knew she had reached her destination. She parked her SUV in the drive way and shut off the engine, sitting there in silence she admired the beauty of the old house again. Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down, she got out of the car. She slammed the door shut and a startled flock of birds flew out of the oak tree. "Oops." Elena thought to herself as she cringed. She swiftly walked to the front door and found herself standing in front of it wondering what the hell she was about to say to these mysterious men, she even contemplated getting back into her car and driving away but the thought of doing absolutely nothing after everything that had happened made the rage burn in Elena's stomach again. She brought her fist up to the wooden door and pounded on it. Elena waited for what seemed like an eternity for someone to answer the door, butterflies were fluttering up to her throat. When the door finally opened it was Stefan Salvatore standing on the other side of it.

"You and I need to have a conversation." Elena blurted out. Stefan's face crinkled into confusion and he said "I'm not sure what you mean, is there a problem?" Elena was taken aback by the casual tone in his voice and it made her even more angry. "You're kidding me right?" she yelled as she pushed her way past his body and entered the house. She walked into the living room and sat herself down on the deep red couch, Elena put her head in her hands trying to gather her thoughts. "Elena, why are you here?" Stefan calmly asked her as he sat himself opposite her on a chair. Elena took a deep breath and decided to just come right out with everything, she wasn't sure she would get another chance. "Something isn't right about you, the way you acted at school.. a-and Bonnie had all these visions of blood and death. I remember bits and pieces of the night we went camping but nothing makes sense, it's like we were all drugged. Damon is uh, he's your brother.. right?" Stefan looked at her and frowned, he shook his head and seemed upset. He sighed and answered her "Yes Damon is my older brother, I wasn't aware that you two had met." Brothers, Elena was surprised, the Salvatore's looked more like distant cousins than brothers. Stefan had light brown hair and green eyes where as Damon had dark, almost black hair and piercing light blue eyes. "Elena there is so much I would love to tell you about me, about this town, and about you. But I don't know if I can. I know you're going to get mad but this is for your protection." Elena stood up from the couch and was so angry she couldn't even think. "Stefan, my safety is none of your concern. In my opinion the more I know the better I can protect myself, my friends, and my family. I came here for one reason and one reason alone, I want ANSWERS!"

Elena felt her face turning red in embarrassment for raising her voice. Just as Stefan was about to say something Damon appeared in the door way and said "What a pleasant surprise, I wasn't aware you were having guests over. Where was my invite Stefan?" he cooly walked over to a table covered in crystal carafes and poured himself a drink. He plopped himself down on the couch next to Elena, put his leg over his knee and looked over at Elena and smirked. "Soooo, what were we talking about?" Elena felt her eyes moving over Damon's body. "I came here wanting some answers, you told me there were things about Mystic Falls that I didn't know, that things go bump in the night. I was hoping you could clarify what you were talking about." Stefan's glance shot over and Damon and he said "For God's sakes Damon why are you planting all these seeds in her mind? Are you stupid?" Damon laughed and said "Relax Stefan, I think here has a right to know why us dashing Salvatore's made the long trip back to Mystic Falls. Don't you?" Stefan made a low growling noise and finally said "Fine, go ahead Damon, bring her into this. But it's on you."

Elena was trying to process the whole conversation and probably looked like a lost little girl as she watched the boys argue. Damon turned his attention to Elena and said "Everything you have ever known, or believed in is about to change. You have to promise me that you're not going to freak out after I tell you the truth. Remember, you're the one who wanted to know this." Elena thought for a second and said "Yes, I promise." Stefan leaned forward and took her hand in his, his hand felt smooth and cool against hers. His touch sent a jolt of sparks through her body and she made eye contact with him. She caught his eyes looking at her lips and she couldn't help but look down at his. Stefan seemed to snap back into reality and let go of her hand and said "Damon and I came back here because of you. Please don't be freaked out but we have been watching you for the past few months Elena. See the thing is, we used to know a woman named Katherine Pierce and you and her have some very intense similarities." Damon snorted a laugh and said "Some similarities? Who are you kidding Stefan. Elena and Katherine could have been twins. You both have the same deep brown hair, perfect olive skin, and brown eyes." Damon quickly got up and grabbed something off of the china cabinet and brought the piece of paper over to her. When he put it in Elena's hands she realized it wasn't just a piece of paper, it was a photograph of a woman dressed in clothes that must have been from the 1800's staring back at her. But what really turned Elena's blood cold was the fact that Damon wasn't lying when he said they could have been twins. Elena felt as if she was staring into a mirror.

She dropped the picture on the table in front of her and sat back onto the couch bringing her knees into her chest and mumbled "I-I don't understand, who is she? Why do we look exactly alike?" She began to regret coming here as the realization of Damon's words "Everything is about to change" were beginning to sink in. "We don't know why you look exactly like her, we came here thinking you were Katherine. But after watching you for months we knew without a doubt that you weren't Katherine." said Stefan. Elena reached back down to the picture and flipped it over, there was writing on the back that read "Katherine Pierce, 1864." Elena read it again and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Wait, why would you be looking for a girl who was my age in 1864? She's obviously long dead.." Damon and Stefan looked at each other and then down at the hardwood floor. "Are you sure you're ready for this Elena?" asked Damon with worry in his voice. "For the last time, I came here looking for answers and I'm not leaving until I get them." Elena felt herself getting annoyed, what was so intense that they couldn't tell her the truth? "We're not like you Elena, we're vampires." Damon blurted out and looked up at her with his beautiful blue eyes. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Stefan getting out of his chair and moving towards her. A hand grabbed her chin and her eyes were now locked with Stefan's. "I want you to remember everything about last night, I want you to remember everything I compelled you to forget." Flashes of memories flooded Elena's brain. A campfire, Bonnie reading her palm, noises in the dark, and finally Stefan's face covered in blood as he was holding Vicky's lifeless body in his arms. "What the HELL are you?" Elena said with urgency as she sprung up and away from the couch backing towards the door. Stefan got up and said "Elena please, you came here and you wanted answers. I'm about to give you that answer but you need to know that you're safe here, we would never do anything to hurt you. Elena.. Damon and I.. We're vampires."

Elena felt as if she was about to pass out, this was a dream right? There was no such thing as vampires. As she continued to back up towards the door she felt her body against Damon's and she spun around to face him. He looked down at her and said "It's true Elena, and Katherine was a vampire too. She's still alive, or at least we believe she is. She might have answers as to why you look just like her. You need to understand that we're trusting you with this information, if the wrong person were ever to find out about this our lives are at stake Elena." Elena nodded and said "Why are you both so hellbent on finding this Katherine Pierce? Who was she?" Stefan cleared his throat and said "She was perfect, or at least we both thought she was. Katherine was beautiful, cunning, and manipulative. She had both of us wrapped around her finger, we both fell for her hard. She was the only woman that I've ever truly loved in 146 years." Damon shook his head and added "It was all a lie brother, she never cared for either of us, the sooner you figure that out the sooner you will be free to live again. Katherine compelled our love." In the blink of an eye Stefan was at Damon's throat and yelled "She may have compelled you, but my love for her was real and I know hers was too." Elena paused for a moment and said "So she screwed with both of your heads, left you and you still want to find her?" Stefan seemed angered by what she said. "She didn't screw with my head, neither of us remember what happened the night we were... turned." Elena crossed her arms over her chest and said "What do you mean turned?" Damon cut in explained "Katherine was the one who turned us into vampires, she told both of us it was so she could spend forever with the man she truly loved. It wasn't until afterwards, that we realized she had told us the exact same things." "So how do you turn someone into a vampire?" Elena asked.

The brothers both sighed and Stefan said "A vampire has to feed you their blood, and you need to die with that blood in your system. Vampire blood stays in your body for about 24 hours." This was all so different than all the cheesy vampire movies Elena had watched during slumber parties with her friends. "The last thing either of us remember was Katherine coming to our bedrooms, told us all about how she wanted to spent all of eternity with us by her side. I remember her whispering into my ear that it was all going to be perfect and she looked at me with those brown eyes, but they began to darken and so did her face. She opened her mouth and she had these fangs, I remember being horrified that she was going to bite me but to my surprise she bit into her own wrist and blood began dripping down my chest and soaking into the bedsheets. She told me to taste her, and being blinded by her allure I began to drink from her wrist. I felt her bite into my neck but it didn't hurt, it felt amazing. We were drinking from each other and it was the most intimate thing I had ever experienced. She pulled away, looked into my eyes, her mouth dripping with my blood and she kissed me, my mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood as she slipped her tongue against mine. And then she snapped my neck. The next thing I remember was waking up and she was gone." Damon recalled. His eyes showed that he was filled with pain after remembering what he had gone through. Elena looked back to hear Stefan's story but he was gone. Elena turned back to Damon and brought her hand up to his cheek, she looked deep into his eyes and said "You loved her too, Damon." His gaze left hers and went to the floor. "Yes, I suppose I did." She felt so terrible for these two brothers, their hearts had obviously both been shattered by the same girl. "You need closure, don't you?" Damon looked at her and said "Stefan hasn't turned his humanity on in over 50 years, he's not himself. Not only did I lose the girl I thought I loved, I lost my brother. He's the one that needs the closure, I want her to get what she deserves.. I intend to pull the bitch's heart right from her chest and watch her as the life fades from her eyes." Something about Damon sent feelings of excitement up her spine and Elena said "I want to help you find her, I'll help you find Katherine Pierce."


	6. Favor

Damon looked as if he had been hit by a car after Elena told him she was going to help find Katherine. "Elena you have to know that getting in the middle of all of this might be dangerous for you."Elena knew that putting herself into this situation was really stupid, but she was going to do whatever she could to help keep her loved ones safe. "If this could help Stefan turn his emotions back on, I'm more than willing to help. It might mean one less innocent life taken in vain." said Elena. She looked back up at Damon into his blue eyes and felt everything all at once, why was she finding herself so lost in his eyes? "So you're going to help, I'm just curious as to what your plan is Damon?" said Stefan as he walked back into the dimly lit living room. "Well brother-" Damon began to say but Elena cut in and said "Bonnie will be able to help, she's uh.. psychic." The Salvatore brothers looked at each other and back at Elena. "What do you mean she's psychic? What's she going to do, predict Katherine's future?" Stefan retorted. Elena sighed annoyed at Stefan's pushiness and said "No Stefan, Bonnie has been hanging out with her Grams all summer and learning some spells and what not, apparently her family has a long lineage of witches or something." When the Salvatore brothers looked at each other this time it was with quite a bit more interest and excitement, as if they knew something Elena didn't. "Get Bonnie here as soon as you can. Please." said Stefan as he disappeared from the room again. Elena took her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Bonnie's number. "Elena, where are you? You scared the shit out of all of us!" yelled Bonnie on the other end of the phone. "It's okay Bon, I'm safe but I need you to do me a really huge favor." said Elena calmly. "Okay... What is it?" Bonnie sounded confused. "I need you to get in your car and come to the old boarding house on the south end of town, do you know the one I'm talking about?" There was a moment of silence on the phone before Bonnie said "Yeah the old creepy house, I know the one. You need me to come there now?!" Elena sighed and said "Bonnie I know it's weird but I'll explain when you get here, please just get here fast." "Ughh! Fine, but you better remember this Elena Gilbert." Bonnie said before she abruptly hung up the phone. When Bonnie finally arrived at the house Elena realized she was going to have to explain everything to her friend, she just hoped she would take it as well as Elena was taking it. Elena never believed in the supernatural but after Bonnie showing her a few small things, it had definitely opened Elena's mind that there might be more to the world than meets the eye. After this evening with Damon and Stefan her mind had been blown wide open, and she was feeling strangely calm about it all. Elena found herself enjoying it, that realization disturbed her. Stefan opened the front door and Bonnie stood there wide eyed, "Oh uh is Elena here?" she said extremely nervously. "Yeah I'm here Bonnie." Elena said as she peeked her head around the door. Bonnie relaxed and smiled, Stefan motioned her to come in with his arm. Bonnie was obviously stunned while taking the house in, "I didn't realize anyone was living here, this house always gave me the creeps but when you come inside it's really beautiful." she said. "Why thank you Bonnie, at least someone appreciates my interior decorating skills.. isn't that right Stefan?" Damon said with his trademark smirk. "Why don't we all have a seat and we can tell Bonnie all about why she's here." They all sat down on the couches and Elena braced herself for what Bonnie was about to hear. "Okay Bonnie, I called you here for a reason, but I need you to promise me that you will not freak out and you will keep this a secret, especially from Caroline." Bonnie looked shocked and said "What the hell is going on here? I promise I can keep a secret but I don't understand why you would want to keep something from your best friend Elena.." Damon perked up and said "Caroline is the blonde one right? Yeah, you'll understand why you need to keep this secret, trust me." Bonnie turned towards Damon and said "I'm sorry but who are you?" Damon took Bonnie's hand and said "Oh, how rude of me, I'm Damon; Stefan's brother." he kissed the hand he was holding and Elena felt a pang of jealousy in her stomach. Bonnie went bright red and said "I see, well nice to meet you Damon. Okay why am I here?" Elena took a deep breath and began to tell Bonnie about Katherine and how the two brothers fell for the same girl. Elena noticed Stefan getting up to grab the picture of Katherine off of the table and Elena got closer to Bonnie and said "I need you to not freak out, okay?" Bonnie nodded. Stefan handed Bonnie the photograph of Katherine, and Elena watched Bonnie's face change to shock and horror as she realized the resemblance between Katherine and her best friend. "What the hell, who is she? Elena what is going on?" Bonnie was freaking out so Elena grabbed her friends knee and said "Bonnie it's okay, her name is Katherine Pierce and this is where I need you to remain calm okay? Damon and Stefan knew her, a long time ago.. as in like 1864." Bonnie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she was trying to take all of this in. "That would make you guys over 150 years old.. that's impossible, I don't get this. Can you just come out with the whole story, I promise to remain calm." Elena looked her friend right in the eye and said "Stefan and Damon are.. vampires Bonnie. Katherine was one too, she was the one who turned them. She told both of them it was so she could spend all of eternity with them but after she turned them, they both passed out and haven't seen Katherine since." Bonnie's hands went up to her mouth and a single tear escaped her eye. "I remember everything, my visions were real. I knew there was something dark and evil about these guys." Damon snorted and said "We aren't evil Bonnie, the legends aren't all true." Bonnie looked at the two brothers and said "Why should I help you? My Gram's has warned me about vampires, but I thought she was off her rocker." Elena cut in and said "Bonnie, they aren't evil.. I've been alone with both of them and I'm still alive, if they were here to hurt us I'm pretty sure we would have been sucked dry by now." Bonnie laughed at that. "Bonnie, we need to help them find her so Stefan might have a chance at turning on his humanity again. No more innocent people would die." Elena knew she had Bonnie convinced after she said that. "Get some candles, and do either of you have anything that belonged to Katherine?" The brothers both shook their heads in response. "Crap, that means there's only one thing I can do Elena. And I don't think you're going to like it very much." She felt her insides tighten at her friends warning and said "What do I have to do Bonnie?" Bonnie stood up and said "If I don't have anything of Katherine's that means doing a locator spell is impossible, but I can send you to get something of hers. Over the summer I became a much stronger and confident witch." Elena giggled and said "Did you just actually call yourself a witch?" Bonnie turned towards her and sat back down "Yes Elena, it's what I am. If they can be vampires, I'm fully going to embrace myself and say I'm a witch." Damon looked to be thinking really hard and finally said "Bonnie what do you mean by sending Elena to get something of Katherine's?" "I'm going to send her back in time, to 1864. She's going to find Katherine, and take something of hers." "Wait Bonnie, will people be able to see me?" Bonnie chewed her lip as she thought about it and said "I'm honestly not sure, but we're going to have to make you look the part if we're going to be safe." Stefan cleared his throat and leaned forward "And how is she supposed to get back to present time? How do we guarantee she doesn't get stuck back in time?" She rubbed her hands together and realized her palms were sweating like crazy. "She's only going to have an hour to get something of Katherine's and then I'm going to bring her back. That's the maximum amount of time I can hold her over there." Elena  
couldn't believe what she was hearing right now, vampires, witches, and now she was traveling back in time? "Well how are we going to make it so I blend in and go unnoticed if I am seen by them?" Stefan stood up and stretched and said "There's a costume place about 15 minutes away, we could try to find you a dress there. And for some odd reason I know we have hair styling tools in the guest bathroom upstairs, you'll need to make your hair curly." She thought to herself for a minute and said "Alright Bonnie, let's go to this costume place and we'll meet you guys back here?" The girls began making their way back to the front door but before they got there Damon was standing in their way. "You'll need me to go with you, to make sure you look authentic. I lived in 1864, I'll know if it's right." Elena swallowed and didn't enjoy the fact that she was going to have to dress up in a giant poofy dress and be seen by Damon in it. "Ladies first." Damon said as he put his hand on the small of Elena's back and pushed her out the door. The car ride to the costume shop was short and the three of them walked into the old shop, a bell rang as they opened the front door. Damon lead the way to a back wall, it was filled with period pieces. Damon looked over to her, studying her body. Elena felt flushed as his eyes washed over her, and when his eyes met hers she felt breathless. "I think purple, what do you think Bonnie?" Bonnie looked at Elena and said "Purple would be nice, but I think I prefer her in green. Her olive skin would work well with green." They handed her two beautiful dresses and Bonnie went with her to the changing room. It took them about 20 minutes to get the green one laced up and ready to go. She felt as if she was being crushed by the corset. Elena stepped out of the change room and Damon was sitting in a chair beside the mirror. He stood up and came over to her, he stood behind her and looked at her in the mirror. "You look amazing Elena." Bonnie smiled. "Yes she does, but I think you should try the purple one." After another strenuous 20 minutes of tugging and sucking in, she had Damon's choice on. She stepped out again and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror  
and was stunned. The dress fit her like a glove, she looked more perfect than she ever thought she would in a silly costume dress. "It's perfect." Elena whispered. Damon nodded and Bonnie began to clap. To her surprise Damon paid for the dress. "Thank you Damon." Elena said as  
they left the shop. He turned to her and said "No, thank you for helping my brother. Thank you and Bonnie." Before long they were back in the Salvatore house just the two girls in the lavish guest bathroom, doing Elena's hair. She slipped the dress back on, and studied herself  
in the mirror one last time. Bonnie gasped when she saw the whole picture, "Elena you look just like her, it's actually scaring me." Elena smiled a devious smile and said "Maybe we'll find out why I look just like her. I'm doing this to solve more than just their problem you know.  
I want to know why I look just like her." Bonnie nodded, "Fair enough, I'm just as curious as you are." Elena giggled and said "Should we go see if I get the Salvatore seel of approval?" Bonnie giggled and nodded. Elena began her walk down the long hallway towards the dramatic  
spiral staircase. As she made her way down the stairs, Stefan and Damon were both waiting at the bottom for her. She watched their faces as she descended the stairs, Stefan's face turned white as he watched her. Damon's jaw dropped. "Well what do you think?" The Salvatore brothers  
both stood there in silence and that was enough of an answer for Elena. It was Bonnie who said "Let's send you back, to 1864."


	7. 1864

The room was filled with fragrant glowing candles. Damon, Stefan, and Bonnie were all seated around the dining room table, waiting patiently for Elena to be gather herself. _This is crazy, it isn't possible for Bonnie to actually send me back in time, is it? _Elena thought to herself as she made her way to the chair her friends were saving for her. Damon's eyes followed Elena as she gracefully sat herself in her seat, when she looked up; both the Salvatore's gazes were upon her. She felt her face get hot and she cleared her throat. Stefan seemed to snap out of hypnotization and said "Katherine used to wear a necklace, it was Lapis. You know the royal blue stone?" Elena nodded, she knew what Lapis looked like. She knew both Damon and Stefan wore rings made out of the same stone. "Yeah, you both wear Lapis rings. I noticed. I know what I'm looking for, I just don't know where to look." The candles flickered and made shadows dance across the dining room walls. "Katherine lived on the same estate we did, our father took her in. It's a large estate on Willowbrook Road. The house is white, it's hard to miss. It's the most lavish property in town, err.. it was the most lavish property in town." said Damon, narrowing his eyes. Bonnie put her hand on Elena's and whispered, "Do you feel ready, Elena?" Elena looked down at herself in her extravagant purple gown. "Yes I think I'm ready, what do I do if I see her? Katherine." Damon and Stefan looked at each other and looked down, both of their brows were furrowed in thought. "That's something we'll have to hope doesn't happen, she's strong Elena. She's smart and conniving, the best thing you can do is pretend to be just as shocked as she is and hope it will buy you some time." Damon concluded. "Okay." Elena whispered and took a deep breath, "Let's do this Bonnie, please just promise me you'll get me back here." Bonnie closed her eyes and began to speak another language. The candles seemed to burn with more intensity and the shadows on the wall became darker and more pronounced. Elena felt lightheaded and dizzy, and felt her eyelids growing heavy. She heard herself make a soft whimpering noise as she felt her whole body tingling with pins and needles. The last thing she saw in that room were her hands. Damon's hand caressing her left. Stefan's grasping her right.

************************************************** ********************************

Elena woke in a dark place. She could hear the hooves of horses on a cobblestone road. She lifted her head and realized she was being pulled in a carriage, the bumpiness of the ride gave it away. She looked down to make sure she was still in costume and was relieved to find that nothing had changed since she departed the Salvatore boarding house in present time. Outside night had fallen and fog had settled in. _Good, the night is dark and gloomy. Makes it easier for me to sneak around. _She pulled back the curtain separating herself from the carriage driver and opened her mouth to speak but she stopped herself and planned out what she was going to say. "Sir, I have grown weary of the incessant bumps in the road. May we stop for the evening so I may rest my head in comfort?" The driver turned around. He was wearing a suit and tie, complete with a top hat. His red mustache was disturbingly long and thick. "Why yes miss.. what did you say your name was?" he looked at her as if he thought he was going crazy. "My name is Katerina, you may call me Kate for short." Elena lied as she dipped her head as if to bow to him. "Ah yes, miss Kate. Yes I think it is due time we stopped for some rest. Is there any particular place you would like to stop m'lady?" Elena knew she had to get closer to Katherine, "Do you know of Willowbrook Road sir? I have business there and would be delighted to stop nearer there." The driver pursed his lips in thought and stroked his red mustache. "Hmm, yes I believe I know the road. It's quite near here actually. I recall there being a small inn near the Salvatore estate." _Perfect. _After about 2 more minutes of the most uncomfortable ride of her life the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Elena pulled back the curtain from the window and saw the estate house just down the road. Before the driver could make his way down from his perch, Elena threw the door open and jumped out of the carriage making a run for the white house. She could hear the driver yelling after her but she didn't care, she only had one hour and she had to make the most of it. Bonnie was going to be exhausted after doing this, and she might not have another chance. Running in her gown was no easy task, it must have weighed an extra 20 pounds. Finally she found herself standing in front of an elaborately carved fountain of an angel. The house was white, and most definitely luxurious. There was a light on in a bedroom, _shit. _Elena thought to herself. She came to a decision that she couldn't go in through the front door, they most likely had maids who would discover her and she most certainly couldn't have that happen. Elena ran around the side of the house and found a side door. It was locked. Elena began to panic as she thought about her time limit and grabbed a bobby pin out of her hair. She was a lockpicking expert thanks to Caroline Forbes who would often make Elena sneak out in the middle of the night. With a few thrusts of the bobby pin Elena heard the lock unlock. _Thank you Caroline. _Inside the house was warm, she could hear the clanking of dishes in the distance. She had to be sneaky, and careful. There were more people awake than she had hoped for. She made her way past the kitchens, smells of a fragrant soup filled her nostrils and her stomach grumbled. Down a long candlelit hallway she could see a grand set of stairs in the distance. Katherine's bedroom would be upstairs, she just had to hope she wasn't in it. Just as she was about to run through the great room towards the stair case she heard a mans voice getting closer. Elena pressed herself into the wall and hoped she wouldn't be noticed. Stefan Salvatore turned the corner and saw her against the wall. _Oh no, oh no, oh no. _"Miss Katherine, what are you doing down here at this hour? Not getting into trouble I hope." Stefan said with a wink. Before she could respond he pressed his body up against hers and gently put his lips to her neck. "You taste so good, will you take me to bed with you this evening Miss Pierce?" Elena breathed heavily as Stefan's lips moved up towards hers. _You need to play the part Elena. _"Why , I think you're being greedy with me." she smiled up at him playfully. Stefan seemed to enjoy the game and he pushed her body against the wall harder. This time his lips met hers and he kissed her with force. He wanted her, she knew it. His hands were on her neck, sending shivers down her spine. He pulled her face towards his and he let out a soft moan. Elena pulled away, and said "Goodnight Stefan." Her head was spinning, she had just kissed Stefan Salvatore. _It wasn't you and it's not really him. _She made her way across the elegant great room and up the stairs. There was a bathroom at the top of the stairs and Elena ran towards it, slipped inside and locked the door. She needed to gather her thoughts before going into the lions den. _You kissed Stefan, that was the first guy you have kissed since Matt Donovan. _Elena felt a pang of guilt as she thought about Matt, but she wasn't the same girl back then. Elena was growing and so were her needs and wants. After a quick look in the mirror to make sure she still looked the part - which she did, Elena left the bathroom. She stepped softly down the carpeted hallway, there was a bedroom door approaching on her left, candlelight glowing from under the door. Elena held her breath and tried to listen in at the door. Nothing, it was dead quiet. She put her hand to the doorknob and began to turn it, she peaked through the crack of the door and saw Damon Salvatore sprawled in bed, shirtless and reading a book. His hair was longer, it fell over his eyes as he read his book. Elena could have stood there and watched him all night, he looked so beautiful. The white sheets outlined his muscular body, she began to wonder if he was naked. When she looked up at him again his eyes were on her. _Fuck. _"Katherine." he whispered as he sat up in bed. Elena opened the door and went into the bedroom. She closed the door behind her and said "Hello Damon, I've just come to wish you a good night." His blue eyes were locked on her, and he put down his book. "You look ravishing tonight, the purple dress has always been my favorite." he smiled. Elena felt her heart race, there was something about Damon. An edge, she couldn't help but be mesmerized by him, as he seemed to be by her. "Thank you my love, but the night grows late and I must be going to my room." Elena felt her hand move to Damon's face and she brushed his hair back out of his eyes and caressed down his face. His eyes closed as she pulled her hand back and she could hear his breathing quicken. "Are you sure you can't come keep me company while I read my book?" he quickly asked her as she reached the door. "You can't have me all to yourself Damon, maybe another night." she smiled a wicked smile back at him as she shut the door again. _You can't have much longer left Elena, maybe 10 minutes. You need to find that necklace._ The door at the end of the hallway was completely dark. Elena quickly padded down the rest of the hallway and was standing outside the last bedroom. _This has to be it or I will be out of time. _She turned the door knob and the door opened with a creak. The room was more lavish than Damon's had been, and it most certainly belonged to a woman. There was a giant mirror and make up table in one corner, Elena went over to the closet and flicked through a plethora of gowns. This was Katherine's room. _The necklace has to be on the make up table, I think I saw a jewelry box. _Surely enough there was an ornate jewelry box on the table, Elena opened it and sparkling back at her was a vivid blue stone with a silver chain. She held the necklace up and admired it's beauty. The Lapis seemed to come alive when the moonlight pouring in from the window caught it. _I got what I came for, I need to leave. Time is almost up. _Elena stopped dead in her tracks when she saw herself staring back at her in the doorway, except Elena knew it wasn't herself at all. _Act surprised Elena, act surprised. _"Who the HELL are you?!" Elena exclaimed as Katherine took a step towards her. "I think you know exactly who I am, or you wouldn't be in my room going through my things." Katherine's jaw clenched as anger filled her eyes. "That's a pretty necklace you have hidden in your hands, may I inquire as to what you were planning on doing with it once you stole it?" Elena felt herself sweating underneath her dress. "I was sent here, I'm sorry I won't take it." was the best she could manage. "I was told I had doppleganger blood, but I never believed the witches when they told me. Looks like I was wrong." Katherine moved like a cat, silent and graceful. She was wearing a white nightgown, lace trim softly moved across her thighs. She was standing right in front of Elena and smiled down at her. "Who the hell sent you here, do you even know what I am?" she said as she reached her arm out in the blink of an eye and her hand was around Elena's slender neck, squeezing the breath out of her. Before Elena could retaliate Katherine had her pinned up against the bedroom wall. Choking noises began to escape from Elena's mouth, her eyes were watering. _Jesus this is how I'm going to die, my evil vampire doppleganger is going to kill me - in 1864. She's so damn strong. _Katherine's strength against Elena's human body was like being hit with a freight train. She began to loosen her grip on Elena's neck and Elena said "The brothers.. t-t-they sent me." The grip on her neck tightened again. "You're talking like a crazy person, bitch. I don't care who sent you. I care about sending a message to whoever did! Do you know the best way to do that?" Elena could feel her heart beating in her neck where Katherine's hand was, it was slowing down. "No." she managed to croak. "By sending back your lifeless corpse." Katherine whispered into her ear. Elena felt her body tingling, _it must be the blood being cut off from everything. This is it. I'm dying. _Darkness took her.


	8. Chapter 8

The darkness was overwhelming, it seemed to be sucking her in. Endless blackness, Elena couldn't feel her body anymore.  
This is it.. I'm dead, it's all over. Sadness poured over her like a tidal wave and she felt herself begin to cry, tears  
flooding down her cheeks. Wait. I can feel the tears, I can feel the warm wet tears sliding down my face. Gradually the darkness  
surrounding Elena began to brighten, and she could hear far away sounds. The tears kept coming as she thought about her brother  
Jeremy, how was he going to fend for himself without her? How could she leave him all alone with no one to rely on? The world grew  
brighter still, until she could vaguely make out shapes and the sounds became clear. "Elena! Elena please wake up." she recognized  
Bonnie's voice. "Eghhhhh.." was the best Elena could manage, her neck was still sore from Katherine's death grip. She heard footsteps  
hurry towards her. "She's alive, Bonnie she's alive! Looks like your witchy voo-doo worked after all." Elena turned her head to look  
up at Damon Salvatore. He gazed down at her and brushed her hair out of her eyes, his hand felt cool against her skin. " Elena felt her  
face get hot as his eyes met hers, Damon seemed to notice the eye contact and pulled his hand away quickly. "No, your hand feels good,  
it's cold and I'm so hot. Why am I so damn hot?!" Elena sat up and looked down at herself, she was still dressed in the purple gown.  
"Bonnie, get this thing off of me. I'm burning up and I'm freaking out, please." Damon left the room and Bonnie began to pull at the corset  
on the back of the dress. As the dress began to loosen and fall down Elena's body, Elena tried to relax and take deep breaths. Finally she  
felt the dress fall to the floor, a great sigh of relief came over her. "There, it's off. Let me go grab your normal people clothes." Bonnie giggled  
as she left the room. Elena stood there in the middle of the oversized room, naked except for her bra and underwear. Finally she heard footsteps coming  
back down the stairs. "Finally, I felt a little strange-" Elena said as she turned around only to find Stefan standing in front of her. His eyes were  
wide and looking up and down her exposed body. Elena jumped onto the couch, grabbed the gown off the floor and covered herself with it.  
"So. Did you find what you were looking for?" Elena frantically looked around the room realizing she totally forgot about the necklace. Stefan began to walk  
towards her. Elena's heart was racing, she was naked on the couch and Stefan was coming towards her. He knelt down in front of her, staring at her chest.  
"What are you doing?!" Elena snapped. Stefan smiled and laughed, you did good Miss Gilbert. He reached out and grabbed the necklace off of Elena's chest.  
"Oh, I didn't realize-" Elena began looking down at the floor blushing. "Now we finally have something to pinpoint Katherine's location, oh and by the way..  
it's hard for me to see you naked and vulnerable like that." Stefan's eyes were burning, looking back at her. Elena felt a pang of lust course through her body  
as she watched him turn away to go back upstairs. Bonnie passed him on the way back into the room and gave Elena a look that said "I'm so sorry." Bonnie helped  
Elena get dressed as Elena told her friend everything that happened during her time travel. "Wait, she almost killed you and you still ended up bringing back the  
necklace? Whoa Elena, you're a total badass!" They laughed together, and Bonnie threw her arms around Elena. "I was really worried about you, you went totally limp and  
I wasn't sure you were going to come back to us. I really don't know what I would have done if I knew I was the one responsible-" Elena grabbed Bonnie's shoulders and  
looked into her friends eyes. "Bonnie, none of this was your fault, I asked you for help not the other way around, okay?" Bonnie nodded. The girls sat in silence holding  
each others hands for a while. Elena looked out the window and realized it was night time, the tree branches were casting eerie shadows across the walls. The brothers  
came into the room and sat down on the couch across from the girls. "We have what we need to track her down, so whenever you're ready Stefan. We can try and find Katherine."  
said Bonnie. "I know, perhaps tomorrow. You both have done enough for one day. May I walk you home Elena?" Stefan asked, his eyes piercing into Elena. Damon shot a look  
at his brother, got up from the couch and poured himself a drink. "Uh, well I suppose that's okay. I'm really tired and I'd like to get home and sleep." Elena gathered her  
things and put her coat on over her shoulders. "What about you Bonnie? Are you okay getting home?" Elena asked her friend. "I'll make sure she gets home okay, not a problem."  
Damon interrupted. Bonnie nodded and smiled at Elena. "I'll see you tomorrow Elena, you're sure you're okay right? You went through quite a bit with Katherine discovering you  
and what not.." "Wait what? She saw you? What the hell happened in there Elena?" Stefan eagerly waited for Elena to reply. "I'll tell you on the way home Stefan, let's get going."  
Stefan let out a low growl. The night was cold, autumn was turning to winter in Mystic Falls. Stefan grabbed her hand, and Elena turned to him shocked. "Look Elena, I know  
you don't understand why this is so important to me.." Elena put her hand over Stefan's mouth and his eyes looked into hers. "Yes Stefan, I do understand. You were in love  
with her. You need closure. She hurt you and that's why you've shut yourself off from the world around you. I can't bear to see someone in that kind of pain, I want to help  
you be whole again." She took her hand off of his mouth and his eyes didn't move from hers. His brow furrowed in pain and she thought she could see tears well up in his green eyes.  
Just as Elena was about to turn and keep walking towards her house, Stefan grabbed her face and kissed her hard. Heartbeats echoed in her ears, time stood still. He smelled so good,  
his lips were soft against hers. Elena felt herself kiss him back, he picked her up and wrapped her legs around his hips. They moved at lightspeed and out of nowhere she felt her back  
pressed up against a tree, he moaned as his tongue brushed against her lips. Elena ran her hands through his hair, and it was then she realized she was kissing Stefan Salvatore. She pushed  
herself away from his lips and said "What am I doing?" Her hand went up to her lips and she looked at him in fear, "I can't do this, not with you, not right now." Elena turned and ran and heard  
Stefan calling after her. She didn't care what he had to say, he was still in love with Katherine. She kept sprinting towards home and couldn't help but realize she liked kissing Stefan.  
But in all honesty, it was Damon who caught her eye. "What the hell am I going to do.." Elena whispered to herself as she felt tears running down her cheeks. Walking up her driveway, Elena noticed  
a shadow slumped over inside her aunts car. Her hair stood up on her arms, something was wrong, very wrong. Elena went over to the drivers side window and peered into the car, the eyes that met hers  
were lifeless. It was then that Elena realized it was her Aunt Jenna sitting in her drivers seat with her throat slit. Once again, darkness took Elena.


End file.
